Identification of Clostridium difficle - Essay Example

3-4). Diarrhoea cases associated with C. difficle have been increasing in the contemporary world. In addition, increased resistance has been identified. It is also a major cause of hospital-based infection. Specifically, this infection affects the inner linings of the colon and produces toxins, which can lead to serious inflammation as well as diarrhoea. During the 2000s, this infection used to be treated using antibiotic fluoroquinolone to which the infection developed resistance. In the developed nations, C.

difficle is a key cause of infectious diarrhoea. It is mostly spread in poor healthcare settings. The infection has not only become more prevalent in today’s world but also gotten harder to treat. Bearing in mind that the infection emerged several decades ago, many diagnostic methods have been developed since the earliest times of its discovery. Some of these methods are effective while others have been ignored due to inconsistencies. This diagnosis incorporates a wide history of recent antibiotic therapy, diarrhoea development, or any other indication of acute colitis (Planche & Wilcox, 2011, p. 3). In addition, the diagnosis is also based on the demonstration of an infection by toxigenic C. difficle. This is usually done through the detection of toxin A or B within stool samples.

Pathogenesis leads to the production of toxin while the toxin strains are responsible for the production of toxin A, also known as enterotoxin or toxin B, cytotoxin. The diagnostic methods can be divided into several subsections that include laboratory methods, antigen detection methods, and nucleic acid amplification methods (McFarland, 2011, p. 431-432). The laboratory methods include culture Agar media, enriching pores, CCN test, and selective media. The antigen detection methods, on the other hand, include GDH Assays while the nucleic acid amplification methods include PCR Assays and LAMP Assays.

Although there may be many diagnostic